Determining the Purpose of Life

Who is the most depraved person on earth? A person without purpose.” - Ayn Rand

Almost every one of us lives mechanically, through most of our lives. Having been born, we go through the mill of studies, higher studies, romance, marriage, kids, money and finally power. People who are in positions of power, rich people, and erudite people are looked up to by the society; regardless of how they have achieved their ends and by what values they lead their lives. The paradox is it appears both the classes are satisfied with this pathetic state of affairs.

For some, the immediate unfolding future becomes the purpose; for some others, money and power becomes the driving force. Only a very few, stop to think about what is real purpose of this life? Why were we born? In a particular family? In a given status? Endowed with a given intellect? Why did our lives take a certain turn?

Our Śastrās classify the goals of life into fourfold, they being Dharma, Artha, Kāma and Mokṣa. Artha is security (!) in life, such as food, cloth and shelter. Kāma is pleasures and comforts in life which supposedly gives us happiness. Dharma is doing Puṇya Karmas

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to ensure we are happy in our future lives also. Mokṣa is going beyond the cycle of life and death.

An analysis of our pursuits in life, will show that all our pursuits fall within the 2 categories, viz., Artha and Kāma. To a very few, and that too only a select set of their pursuits will fall under Dharma. Only to those who have used their intellect, to gain discrimination based dispassion in life, Mokṣa becomes the purpose of life.

आहार निद्रा भय मैतुनं च सामान्यमेत- त् पशुभिर्नरा- णाम्।

बुद्ध- िर्हि तेषां अधिको विषेषः बुद्ध्यावि- हीनः पशुभिस्समा- नः॥

āhāra nidrā bhaya maitunaṁ ca sāmānyametat paśubhirnarāṇām|

buddhirhi- teṣāṁ adhiko viṣeṣaḥ buddhyāvihīnaḥ paśubhissamānaḥ||

“As regards food, sleep and reproduction, cows and humans are the same. What makes humans evolved is their discriminative intellect; minus the discriminative intellect, humans are much the same as cow”.

In listing the 4 categories of goals, the Śastrās have put Dharma ahead of both Artha and Kāma though the first goal naturally is Artha, followed by Kāma; the reason is that in allowing the pursuit of Artha and Kāma goals, the Śastrās guide that their pursuit should be within the framework of Dharma; hence Dharma is put first.

Even if one were to pursue Artha and Kāma within the framework of Dharma, or pursue Dharma singly, all these three pursuits have 3 innate defects; they being, Atṛptikaratvam,Bandhakatvam and Duḥkhamiśṛtatvam. Atṛptikaratvam is a state of remaining unsatisfied, whatever be one’s achievements. Bandhakatvam is state of becoming dependent, on all the comforts and luxuries that one enjoys in course of life; this is why we see luxuries becoming necessites as one climbs up the ladder of social status in life. Duḥkhamiśṛtatvam is a state of suffering pains, in the process of gaining pleasure.

Therefore, the one who claims to have and owns up the discrimative intellect, Mokṣa should become the primary, if not the only, pursuit of life. The purpose of this very human life is to gain freedom from the cycle of life and death. This re-orientation, we need to do with a sense of urgency, for Śankarācārya says in Vivekacūḍāmaṇi

“Hav- ing somehow obtained the rare human birth and there too, manly qualities and mastery over Vedas, that man of deluded intellect who would not strive for his freedom in indeed a suicide. By holding on to the unreal, he destroys himself”.